Janvi Arora
Millennial Managers: Caught Between Tradition and Modern Workplace Expectations
06 February 2025, Thursday
Being a millennial boss is one of the hardest jobs to perform in this fast-changing corporate environment. In a LinkedIn post that went viral recently, Mayank Sharma, founder of an HR firm in Gurgaon, outlines the challenge of running a team under the dual expectations of senior management and junior-level employees.
Sharma theorizes that he was thus as if “sandwiched” between two opposing workplaces—one adhering to old corporate standards while the other demanded its own modern flexibility.
Uncertainties in Expectation
According to Sharma, millennial bosses are constantly under pressure from older leadership, who feel that working late, working from the office every day, and wearing formal attire, are correct practices. On the other hand, millennials and Gen Z expect a work-life balance, remote work, and casual wear, forgetting that their immediate boss is yet another millennial under pressure.
“Being a millennial boss is really hard,” he wrote. “You have your boomer or older millennial boss telling you to torture your team, giving them late nights, enforcing coming to the office daily, and wearing sophisticated clothes.”
At the same time, “You also have new-age millennials and Gen Z reporting on you, who want flexibility, work-life balance, work from home, and wear trendy and cool clothes.”
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A Dilemma With No Solution?
Another had a different view to share, saying, “I am not so sure… my experience has been quite opposite. I have had older bosses, who understood the situation much better and who always reacted in a very mature way-simple reason-life experiences in fact are greatly more relevant than generational differences.”
Some professionals had practical solutions, with one user noting, “Totally real scenario. I believe in simplicity. I ask both sides what is a ‘must do’ to have a delivery meeting the expectations of the customer and it is on that. The right things, if put first instead of what is politically expedient, would set everything else right before long.”
Some went for humor, with one user joking, “Being a millennial boss is simply going to be effectively being a translator between two completely different work cultures!”
The Reality of Leadership in Changing Times
In the ever-changing work landscape, however, the millennial manager must learn to navigate the expectations of traditional leadership and the younger yet smart workforce. Balancing the different facets of corporate discipline and the much needed flexibility is still a challenge but it’s also a good chance for them to reshape the dynamics of the corporate world for the better.
Even as he tries to strike a fair balance, millennial managers oftentimes invariably end up disappointing both sides. “Funny thing is, in the process of keeping a balance, most of the time one ends up disappointing both sides,” he said.
His post resonated with many who have been in similar boats.
“Honestly, I’ve met a couple of younger ones who do exactly that. Don’t fret. It’s the individual, not the age segment!” one commented.
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Peksha Nahata
